Beneath the low rumble of mid-season announcements of all-star selections and player personnel moves by teams throughout the NBA, Karen Davidson, the owner of the Detroit Pistons, following the recent passing of her husband, William Davidson, has floated the idea of selling the team her family has owned for the past several decades. Possibilities run wild, including the exit of the Pistons from Detroit to a different market, potentially in another state, such as Columbus or Kansas City.
While this may be a painful possibility for many, if not most, Piston fans, it also raises the stakes of the state of Michigan to raise the funds necessary to keep the Pistons here, and that includes the mere mention of moving the team, franchise, ownership, and management to the West side of the state, in Grand Rapids. Though a long shot, this scenario is not as far-fetched as it may seem.
I have attended two of the pre-season games played by the Pistons at the Van Andel Arena in recent years, and Meijer, as a company has been a prominent sponsor of this annual event. There is no way to know how the founders and kin of Meijer could raise the approximate one billion dollars it would take to even get in the conversation for one of the more valued franchises, not even counting the cost that it would take to dust off the plans of adding on the southern wing of the Arena to accommodate professional basketball. But it is not impossible.
Clearly, Meijer has a wide presence in the markets that the Pistons cater to, throughout Michigan, and even extending to fans throughout the midwest, where Meijer does business. Based here, the company would be making an investment larger than the Botanical Gardens, to bring a legitimate challenger to any mid-market franchise throughout the country. It is difficult to imagine, with attendance and player salaries going in opposite directions at the moment, and competing with larger market venues like the Forum in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York would be formidable, the Grand Rapids Pistons would face enormous challenges to break-even.
With that said, the region is hungry for something to support, and with attendance stable for Griffins games, and considering the strong basketball heritage of the West side of Michigan, it is not inconceivable, that a joint Meijer/Van Andel partnership, with revenue and cost sharing, that a move from Detroit to the new epicenter of Michigan business in Grand Rapids is possible. Some may see it even as a defensive move at first to keep professional basketball within the state, as it continues to be just as popular as the Tigers and Lions, and second only to the Red Wings in statewide support.
Much would have to be considered in making such a billion dollar investment, but I would be thrilled and I think a lot of young professionals throughout the region would come to see a Pistons game as a natural starting point to a night out. Right now, there is lots going on in the art world, but very little for the presently non-family oriented athletics supporter to do. Even with the Griffins and the Whitecaps, the Grand Rapids Pistons would significantly up the ante on what is possible with some money, and a lot of coordination.
I would personally hate to see the Pistons move out of state, and though they enjoy the luxury of the Palace of Auburn Hills as their homecourt, it seems only a matter of time before the Davidson family looks to cash in on their appreciation of investment in the Pistons. In short, a public-private partnership, like the one that originally built the Van Andel Arena could help convince a majority buyer, like the Meijer family, in to making the purchase, and securing Grand Rapids as a destination for professional sports. Perhaps the time has come to begin to vet out such an idea.....
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
stuckey should be an all-star
few people will agree on the non-starters for the NBA's All-Star game in Dallas next month, and a lot even disagree on the starters, even considering there is universal agreement on Kobe, melo, LBJ, Wade, and perhaps even Amare and Dwight howard, but filling out the rest of the east and west teams will be the subject of much controversy as some players are going to be left-out even though they may be having break-out years in a loaded and deep league....
My pick for #2 guard in the east is Joe johnson from the hawks, as ATL is having a stellar year and he is the leader, so he gets on, as does Derrick rose in the east, and Chris Paul in the west...but after that, if you leave out the fact that Nash should start over McGrady, there is a lot of discussion on the rest of the roster spots, and i feel like Stuck should be given a spot for his leadership in playing in all Pistons games this year....
his FG% and his assists are low for a PG, but he does everything the Pistons need to be in contention for a playoff spot, and with the roster coming together with something like: ellis, kaman, duncan, gasol, boozer, rondo, pierce, garnett, bosh, igoudala, g. wallace, zach, durant, nowitzki, kidd, roy, and jamison as the likely bench players with a couple of spots to fill-in for the east, and that is why Stuckey should be given a spot....no one other than LBJ gets to the rim and finishes as well as Stuck, and his jumper has come along....he makes his free-throws and plays solid defense against the opposing team's best guard....
in addition to Stuck, i would make a strong case for Zach Randolph as mentioned above, as he is averaging 22/11 on a deep memphis team, and he has played well enough for the team to be in contention for a playoff spot, and Rudy gay has not been consistent enough, or more than Zach, so that is my argument...
Stuckey and Zach for their first all-star appearances....
My pick for #2 guard in the east is Joe johnson from the hawks, as ATL is having a stellar year and he is the leader, so he gets on, as does Derrick rose in the east, and Chris Paul in the west...but after that, if you leave out the fact that Nash should start over McGrady, there is a lot of discussion on the rest of the roster spots, and i feel like Stuck should be given a spot for his leadership in playing in all Pistons games this year....
his FG% and his assists are low for a PG, but he does everything the Pistons need to be in contention for a playoff spot, and with the roster coming together with something like: ellis, kaman, duncan, gasol, boozer, rondo, pierce, garnett, bosh, igoudala, g. wallace, zach, durant, nowitzki, kidd, roy, and jamison as the likely bench players with a couple of spots to fill-in for the east, and that is why Stuckey should be given a spot....no one other than LBJ gets to the rim and finishes as well as Stuck, and his jumper has come along....he makes his free-throws and plays solid defense against the opposing team's best guard....
in addition to Stuck, i would make a strong case for Zach Randolph as mentioned above, as he is averaging 22/11 on a deep memphis team, and he has played well enough for the team to be in contention for a playoff spot, and Rudy gay has not been consistent enough, or more than Zach, so that is my argument...
Stuckey and Zach for their first all-star appearances....
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
pistons get a win
this post is for all of the participants on the mlive.com forums for the Pistons....as the senior writers on that board seem to me were right, and it is time to trade Tay and potentially even Rip, as other players step-in, and Stuckey becomes the bona-fide leader that we all hoped for some three years ago with the #15 pick in the draft....Tayshaun would be well-served in a new system that needs a role player to come off the bench and produce solid minutes, but in no way is he producing right now for the Pistons, injury or not: Austin Daye appears to be good enough to take the mantle of swing player with range and skills to get to the hoop, and Jerebko is playing solid minutes in Tay's absence, so there you have it, two rookies have made Prince expendable, something that could not have been guaranteed at the beginning of the season....
the tougher call is on Rip, as i see him doing a lot of spazzing out there a la A.I., with too many dribbles and too many missed jumpers to allow the offense to get in any sort of rhythm with him on the court, he is not valuable enough to keep Gordon on the bench for extended periods of time, and when Bynum comes back that is the natural first guard off the bench, not having Ben G. on the court means having to force him in to a expedited form of offensive execution, that he does not deserve, so i think it will be tough, but i finally agree with all the negative attitudes on the pistons board, and say it is time to trade the two left-over pieces from 7 years of winning, and purge Tay and Rip while they still have some trade value, if there is any team out there willing to do business with Joe, as he fleeces everyone he does deals with....
Stuckey is so good its almost becoming ridiculous, sure he will have off nights, like when he was hurt two games ago, but is there anyone other than LBJ who gets to the hoop and finishes without calls like Stuck, my favorite player in the league (Arenas) is gone on weapons charges, and that is fine, because i would prefer my favorite player to be a piston, and that is Stuckey, he gets assists and scores and defends as well as any PG in the league, and sure the argument on the board is that he is more naturally suited to come off screens as an off-guard, but like Joe D. said, he is a combo guard that can do anything you need him to do in the course of a game....i would say that Stuckey is well beyond the rest of his draft class in terms of leading a team, and sure the Pistons are losing a lot lately, but its not due to his ineffectiveness, teams are scheming to prevent him from getting to the hoop, and he is still pulling it off, its a dagger when he penetrates, i love stuck....
CV31 is solid, he likes his role as 6th man, and should earn a starting position next year with the way he scores and rebounds, he just needs to get better on defensive scheming, and then he will be acclimated with the Pistons program enough to warrant more touches, and more plays called for him, i mean he had 23/9 last nite, so you cant say the guy is a bust, he just needs time and the right players around him, like Ben Gordon at the 2 guard and Stuck on the floor with him to get him good looks....i like him, he wants to win, and he plays to win, and even though the Pistons are near the bottom of the league record-wise, they are building on something that other teams dont have, which is young depth, and CV31 is the leader of this charge, he will play out his contract here, he is not going anywhere....
i give Joe credit for the Billups trade that freed up Stuck, and he needs to do the same thing to free up CV31 and BG by trading Tay and Rip and let the era of the 2004 Championship end, and begin anew, I can take B. Wallace for another year so at least we will have one vet. on that team next year, and depending on what you can get in return for two starters, perhaps the Pistons will get better in the second-half of the season....but they are still fun to watch, which is something that could not be said at the end of last year, so joe keeps his job as president of the Pistons, and Coach Q should keep his job, as he has done well in the face of adversity and not blamed anyone in particular....
but if you want to know the state of the pistons, its that they need a trade for Tay, for something of equal value, and then the real decision of what to do with Rip becomes the top topic of discussion, and i agree with the punters on the board, it is probably time to move Rip as well....good memories from both of them, but for the sake of jerebko, daye, gordon, and cv31, and the ongoing development of the Pistons, it is time to build around youth and Stuckey, its just time to move on....
the tougher call is on Rip, as i see him doing a lot of spazzing out there a la A.I., with too many dribbles and too many missed jumpers to allow the offense to get in any sort of rhythm with him on the court, he is not valuable enough to keep Gordon on the bench for extended periods of time, and when Bynum comes back that is the natural first guard off the bench, not having Ben G. on the court means having to force him in to a expedited form of offensive execution, that he does not deserve, so i think it will be tough, but i finally agree with all the negative attitudes on the pistons board, and say it is time to trade the two left-over pieces from 7 years of winning, and purge Tay and Rip while they still have some trade value, if there is any team out there willing to do business with Joe, as he fleeces everyone he does deals with....
Stuckey is so good its almost becoming ridiculous, sure he will have off nights, like when he was hurt two games ago, but is there anyone other than LBJ who gets to the hoop and finishes without calls like Stuck, my favorite player in the league (Arenas) is gone on weapons charges, and that is fine, because i would prefer my favorite player to be a piston, and that is Stuckey, he gets assists and scores and defends as well as any PG in the league, and sure the argument on the board is that he is more naturally suited to come off screens as an off-guard, but like Joe D. said, he is a combo guard that can do anything you need him to do in the course of a game....i would say that Stuckey is well beyond the rest of his draft class in terms of leading a team, and sure the Pistons are losing a lot lately, but its not due to his ineffectiveness, teams are scheming to prevent him from getting to the hoop, and he is still pulling it off, its a dagger when he penetrates, i love stuck....
CV31 is solid, he likes his role as 6th man, and should earn a starting position next year with the way he scores and rebounds, he just needs to get better on defensive scheming, and then he will be acclimated with the Pistons program enough to warrant more touches, and more plays called for him, i mean he had 23/9 last nite, so you cant say the guy is a bust, he just needs time and the right players around him, like Ben Gordon at the 2 guard and Stuck on the floor with him to get him good looks....i like him, he wants to win, and he plays to win, and even though the Pistons are near the bottom of the league record-wise, they are building on something that other teams dont have, which is young depth, and CV31 is the leader of this charge, he will play out his contract here, he is not going anywhere....
i give Joe credit for the Billups trade that freed up Stuck, and he needs to do the same thing to free up CV31 and BG by trading Tay and Rip and let the era of the 2004 Championship end, and begin anew, I can take B. Wallace for another year so at least we will have one vet. on that team next year, and depending on what you can get in return for two starters, perhaps the Pistons will get better in the second-half of the season....but they are still fun to watch, which is something that could not be said at the end of last year, so joe keeps his job as president of the Pistons, and Coach Q should keep his job, as he has done well in the face of adversity and not blamed anyone in particular....
but if you want to know the state of the pistons, its that they need a trade for Tay, for something of equal value, and then the real decision of what to do with Rip becomes the top topic of discussion, and i agree with the punters on the board, it is probably time to move Rip as well....good memories from both of them, but for the sake of jerebko, daye, gordon, and cv31, and the ongoing development of the Pistons, it is time to build around youth and Stuckey, its just time to move on....
Sunday, January 3, 2010
my fantasy team
with Arenas facing weapons charges, i figured now was a good time to evaluate my team, as it stands in 3rd place in the 12 team league i am in with Reno nation, and Arenas is a big part of my team so if he gets suspended for fighting, gambling, or more likely for carrying a gun in to the locker-room, that could cause me to slide a bit, but not much....
I have Carmelo at the SF position, and he is leading the league in scoring, and pretty much having a blow-up season, as is Zach Randolph, as is Stuckey, and i also have Deng, Yi, Joe Johnson, Stephen Curry, Felton, Conley, Hibbert, Aldridge, and Tayshaun....i score a lot....
i am also moving up the ranks of steals, assists, and FG%, because i have a lot of guards that get to the basket, and my forwards are as talented as any team i can think of in fantasy, i used to have Oden at the Center position before season-ending surgery forced me to drop him, though i miss his block shots, and overall awesome play, Hibbert has stepped in nicely...
i am starting to prove that gunners can win a fantasy league as the two teams in front of me, have basically a couple of solid stars and a host of role players that give good numbers....almost to a player, all of my guys are the #1 or #2 option on offense for their teams, and so i put up a lot of shots, but my team is leading the league in FT% which is important for how often i shoot, and get to the rim...
i will win scoring, come close in rebounding, win assists, win steals, and win FT%, while being respectable in blocked shots and three pointers made....the two areas i will struggle, but still need to make up ground in are turnovers and FG% since my players have the ball in their hands all the time....picture every other team's LeBron and that is what my team is like, always distributing, always shooting, always running the break, and always taking the last shot in a game....
i have ballers, and should i get Arenas out of trouble with the law, and barring any injuries, i should be able to pull-out the come from behind victory at the end of the year....got to get my max. games played under control, but things are looking good at the 1/3 of the season point...more to come....
I have Carmelo at the SF position, and he is leading the league in scoring, and pretty much having a blow-up season, as is Zach Randolph, as is Stuckey, and i also have Deng, Yi, Joe Johnson, Stephen Curry, Felton, Conley, Hibbert, Aldridge, and Tayshaun....i score a lot....
i am also moving up the ranks of steals, assists, and FG%, because i have a lot of guards that get to the basket, and my forwards are as talented as any team i can think of in fantasy, i used to have Oden at the Center position before season-ending surgery forced me to drop him, though i miss his block shots, and overall awesome play, Hibbert has stepped in nicely...
i am starting to prove that gunners can win a fantasy league as the two teams in front of me, have basically a couple of solid stars and a host of role players that give good numbers....almost to a player, all of my guys are the #1 or #2 option on offense for their teams, and so i put up a lot of shots, but my team is leading the league in FT% which is important for how often i shoot, and get to the rim...
i will win scoring, come close in rebounding, win assists, win steals, and win FT%, while being respectable in blocked shots and three pointers made....the two areas i will struggle, but still need to make up ground in are turnovers and FG% since my players have the ball in their hands all the time....picture every other team's LeBron and that is what my team is like, always distributing, always shooting, always running the break, and always taking the last shot in a game....
i have ballers, and should i get Arenas out of trouble with the law, and barring any injuries, i should be able to pull-out the come from behind victory at the end of the year....got to get my max. games played under control, but things are looking good at the 1/3 of the season point...more to come....
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